If you’re looking for advice on your job search and your career, you’ll find that there’s no shortage of advice out there. The problem is that some of it is pretty terrible. In fact, some career advice is so bad that it can actually harm your career! Complicating matters even more, some of this bad advice comes from sources who you might assume you can trust, like parents, friends and even campus career centers.
But there are ways to help figure out whether you’re getting good advice or not. Here are five questions to ask yourself before deciding how much weight to give any particular piece of input.
[See: Famous CEOs and Executives Share Their Best Career Advice.]
What kind of professional experience does the person have? Too often, people give advice freely on topics they don’t have first-hand insight on — and with something as high-stakes as job searching and managing your career, bad advice can do real damage. If you’re seeking advice on resumes or interviewing, for example, you want to hear from people who have significant experience hiring, not your friend who has never hired anyone. And you want that experience to be fairly recent, because conventions change over time. Speaking of which …
Does the person acknowledge that things have changed in recent years? If your source is adamant that you should use the tactics that worked for them 20 years ago — or, in some cases, even just 10 years ago — carefully see if they acknowledge things are different now. A classic example of this is the old advice to show initiative by showing up at a company in person and asking for a job, or to show persistence and enthusiasm by calling to try to schedule an interview. That may have worked a couple of decades ago, but now it annoys employers and will make you seem out of touch. If your advice source is giving you guidance that seems to revolve around “gumption” as a strategy, be very, very wary.
[See: 10 Things You Should Know Before Working for a Startup.]
Has the person successfully managed his or her own career? You probably shouldn’t take career advice from someone who has a string of failed businesses or firing after firing (unless the advice is about what not to do). Similarly, be wary of advice coming from someone who always seems to be miserable at work or hasn’t been able to get the outcomes they want in their own career.
Does the person have an agenda that might impact their advice? For example, it’s common for parents to prioritize safety and risk management above all else when it comes to their kids. As a result, they might caution you against trying to negotiate for more money or more vacation time when you get a job offer because they’re afraid of you sticking your neck out, or they might urge you to stick to a traditional career path rather than taking on the risks of a career as a freelancer. The opposite of that can also happen, such as with parents who believe so strongly in your worth that they’re indignant that you’re not getting higher pay and the corner office when you’re just a couple of years out of school, and who advise you to demand more than what will be considered reasonable.
It’s not only parents who can have their own agenda. Your spouse has a vested interest in your career, and his or her advice might reflect that. And keep in mind that anyone who’s trying to sell you a career-related product, like resume-writing services or interviewing coaching, also has an agenda that might not be strictly aligned with your interests.
[See: Tips for Surviving a Career Transition.]
Can the person explain the reasons behind the advice? When it comes to career advice, be suspicious of people who just issue dictates like ” gaps on your resume are always bad” or “never turn down work” without being able to explain the reasons why. There are lots of people who give advice simply by repeating maxims they’ve heard from others or read in (often outdated) career guides. You want to take advice from people who can explain the reasons for the advice, and who are able to apply it in a nuanced way to your particular situation. If they can’t modify it for your circumstances or explain their reasoning in a way that makes sense to you, be skeptical.
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How to Know if You’re Getting Good Career Advice originally appeared on usnews.com
